The McDonald's NPL Tasmania title race could be decided across Launceston in the space of a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon.
However, the thrilling scenario of a second-straight final-day showdown remains a tantalising prospect as the top two battle it out.
With two games to go, South Hobart sit four points clear so can clinch the title with a victory at Riverside.
Meanwhile, second-placed Launceston City established a superior goal difference by winning their catch-up game at Launceston United 11-0 on Tuesday night and will host fifth-placed Glenorchy in the twilight fixture.
Registering double figures in a game for the second time this month, City saw goal machines Angus Taylor (four) and Thierry Swaby (three) take their combined tally to 55 this season as Kazuki Hashimoto, Will Humphrey, Mac Wilcox and Jack Woodland completed the rout.
If South don’t win at Windsor Park and City beat Knights, the title race will go to the last weekend when Max Clarke’s men face the tricky trip to perennial title contenders Devonport.
City are guaranteed at least a second-place finish and coach Daniel Syson can reflect on a successful third year coaching at Prospect Park.
“We are hoping still, but I think we’ve accepted that it’s probably not going to be the case this season,” he said.
“I think we went through the grieving process after we drew at Kingborough and the group was pretty devastated.
“We’ve just got to stay as consistent as we’ve been all year and keep performing at that level. We can’t control other teams so we just have to win our remaining two games.”
Syson admitted goal difference was being targeted in recent big wins.
“Yes we had that in mind. We’re a team that want to be relentless and as harsh as it is sometimes we want to score as many as we can against the opposition and not let our foot off the pedal.
“You always want to be the team with the most goals scored and least conceded. I don’t remember the last time a team won the title and the team in second had scored more and conceded less, so it just shows how good a season we’re having.
“When you look at the group: Jack Woodland, Mana Yawngtun, Tyson Matthews, Mac Wilcox, all these young boys that were 16 when I started with them, now they’re men. The imports have performed extremely well and they all have the right mentality, so it makes it a great group to coach.”
With a game in hand at bottom side Clarence next Wednesday, Glenorchy could still finish as high as third and Robi Bolonja was proud of the job done since he became interim coach midway through the campaign.
“Third is still when and truly in reach if things go our way,” he said.
“We’ve got a good buzz within the group. I think it’s going quite well, I’m happy with how it’s progressing.
“Credit to Sys, he’s a quality coach and has really put it past us the last couple of times (5-1 and 6-1 wins) so we’re going in to try and rectify that a bit and really make it harder for them than it has been.”
In the Women’s Super League, Devonport and South Hobart are already destined to finish first and second respectively but a three-horse race for third place has Kingborough, Glenorchy and Launceston United separated by just three points
Lions hold the spot but United have two games in hand including a rearranged fixture against Taroona a week after the season’s scheduled finish.
United triumphed 5-1 when the sides last met, but have not scored since, a run which has seen three losses, a bye and a postponement.
However, it took a contentious late penalty for the Strikers to win 1-0 last week and United’s American midfield import Angel Ikeda was proud of how the team stood up to the unbeaten champions.
“A PK call in the 82nd minute hurts a little bit but we did our job to keep them from scoring a lot of goals on us and I think we held them pretty well,” she said.
“Third is a huge incentive. Everyone wants to finish in the highest place possible and if you’re happy with the level of football you’re playing that’s all you can really ask for. If that gets us to third place then we’re happy with that.”
Ikeda said she had witnessed a bigger gap between the top and bottom teams than what she was used to in her native Missouri and felt the Birch Avenue outfit has had a positive campaign.
“We’re all pretty happy at the club,” she said. “We did lose games we shouldn’t have, but sometimes that’s just football.”
Kingborough’s Jekyll and Hyde form is represented by consecutive draws against close rivals Glenorchy (2-2), title-chasing South Hobart (3-3) and bottom-placed Taroona who picked up their first point of the season in last week’s crazy 4-4.
Lions coach Simon Edwards said: “We’re pretty excited to have a chance to redeem ourselves after our Round 14 performance against United, we were pretty sub-standard that game.
“This is a super important game for us in terms of our standing on the table so we’ll just be going in controlling what we can control.
“We have a bye in the last round which makes it even more important to secure this one.”
McDonald's National Premier League
Saturday, August 30
12.15pm Launceston United v Kingborough, Birch Avenue
2.30pm Clarence v Devonport, Wentworth Park
4.30pm Riverside Olympic v South Hobart, Windsor Park
4.45pm Launceston City v Glenorchy, Prospect Park
McDonald's Women’s Super League
Saturday, August 30
2.30pm Riverside Olympic v South Hobart, Windsor Park
2.30pm Launceston United v Kingborough, Birch Avenue
Sunday, August 31
2.30pm Taroona v Glenorchy, Kelvedon Park
BYE: Devonport